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Things You Use Every Day That Are Grosser Than a Public Restroom

July 7, 2018

Do you get grossed out by public restrooms? BuzzFeed has put together a list of things that actually contain way more germs than the loo that you use every day without thinking. Here are 10 of them (check out the full list at the link):

Your phone. Turns out that a certain lil' device that we take with ourselves everywhere—including the bathroom—tends to carry 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.

The cash in your wallet. Feces, mold and cocaine—those are just SOME of the fun things that your cold hard cash might be carrying traces of.

Restaurant menus. Have you ever thought about how many hands—and all their respective germs—touch a menu every day? This specifically goes for those plastic laminated menus which, even though they're supposed to be wiped down, are still one of the germiest places in a restaurant.

Elevator buttons. Since so many people touch them, elevator buttons have been found to carry a level of bacteria that's 40 times higher than what you'd find in a public restroom.

Your cutting board. Studies have shown that a cutting board can carry 200 more times fecal bacteria than a toilet seat, usually thanks to the raw meat that you slice on it.

Ice cubes from ice machines. There's nothing like a good iced drink in the summer, but just now this: the machines used to make ice at many hotels, restaurants and fast food venues usually don't get cleaned, so they're often full of germs.

Your kitchen sponge. This item is usually considered "the most bacteria-infested place in your entire house," even more so than your bathroom. Since they're always moist and covered with food residue, sponges become THE perfect place for bacteria to grow.

Shopping carts. The fact that lots of grocery stores have disinfecting wipes next to the carts for you to use should be a sign of how filthy they really are. In fact, studies show that these carts have more saliva, bacteria and fecal bacteria than a public restroom.

ATMs. This shouldn't come as a surprise, but the buttons of an ATM are really filthy and riddled with germs.